Dec 1, 2011

HIV is not spread through day-to-day contact like touching or kissing. You can only get HIV if you have sex without a condom or by sharing a needle with someone who is HIV positive. In addition, being on HIV treatment makes people with HIV far less likely to pass it on.

You cannot get HIV from someone spitting and you. Even if they bit you, the infection risk is negligible: With over 60 million people infected with HIV worldwide over 25 years, there have only ever been four possible reports of HIV being transmitted through biting, all of which occurred in extremely specific and unusual circumstances.

Not only gay men get HIV. HIV can affect anyone: The majority of new HIV diagnoses in 2010 were acquired heterosexually, while approximately a third of people with HIV in the UK are women. Anyone who has sex without a condom or shares needles when injecting drugs is at risk of HIV

Nov 28, 2011

Check out this infographic about the world's most powerful women according to Forbes Magazine. Most interesting fact: Besides Swaziland and Papua New Guinea, the U.S. is the only country in the world that doesn't guarantee paid maternity leave. (Via OnlineSchools)

Nov 22, 2011

A couple of days ago, Trotzendorff introduced farfromhomepage, a new tool for 'creative browsing' that is currently in beta-testing. How it works is explained in the brief clip below - from what I understand it's most interesting for media artists? Check out Florian's video interview (in German) with one of farfromhomepage's developers for more information on the project.

Nov 2, 2011

I found this photo and thought it illustrated well the absurdity of modern beauty standards. I moved house. This messed up my Yoga schedule big time, and I have yet to figure out how to get back at my normal routine. A fucked-up Yoga schedule feels like described here. The same blogger also published another interesting post on what would happen if everyone in the US would go vegetarian for just one day. I've been listening to this song a lot on the go and have been playing this album incessantly when at home. I've had lots of headaches. I'm actually having one now. One of my poems was translated into Spanish by Rery Maldonado and published in this little anthology. I shared plenty of #catcontent on instagram. In short: You haven't missed much. ;)

Oct 9, 2011

Another book I took on holiday with me was blogger Jessica Valenti's 'young woman's guide to why feminism matters' Full Frontal Feminism. Reading it, it became quite clear that - thanks to the many supporters of conservative and religious movements in the country - sexism seems to be on a whole different level in the US from what it is here in Germany (and it's bad enough here, trust me). Especially when it comes to the craziness that surrounds the issue of marriage. Apparantely, a 2006 study showed that the average amount spent on U.S. weddings is almost $28,000!

One of the passages that stuck with me the most (besides the one where Jessica explains how the Bush administration ordered the spending of $100 million dollars per year on religious-based programs that tell women with lower incomes that getting married is the best way out of poverty - all this money could have gone into education, child care and job training!) was this one:

For the life of me, I will never understand why a woman today would change her last name. It makes no sense whatsoever. You want future kids to have the same last name as you and your hubby? Hyphenate, bitch!

To Jessica, changing your surname represents an exchange of ownership, presumably from your dad's last name to your new husband's. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable changing my name (and not just because of all the bureaucratic hassle it implies), and Jessica's take on things made me wonder what my educated married girlfriends were thinking giving away their identities; it could hardly have been that all of them had unpretty surnames before, and I doubt that the decision to alter your name should be vanity-driven. Romance... Hardly! Any better ideas?

Sep 8, 2011

I'll be taking a short break from blogging come tomorrow. Should you miss my writing in the meantime, I recommend you check out a couple of older poems on my other blog Words On A Watch or my German novella Andosina.

If I'm not mistaken, you may also still register for free for the 21-Day Meditiation Challenge. It's over already, but the podcasts should still be available for a few more days. I've participated (as stated here), really liked it, and will continue my daily morning meditations.

Sep 3, 2011

Via Ninia LaGrande, who just now alerted me to the fact that BOY's first album 'Mutual Friends' is out. It sounds nice enough, but I can't believe they didn't put up the acoustic version of Drive Darling! Might have saved it for the single later?

...that I'm thinking of just taking a two-week long, late blogging summer break. I think I'm overworked. There's tons of stuff I'd like to share with you, but I just can't find joy in posting these days. Besides more blogger portraits, the story behind this yummy plate of vegetarian Korean food has been lying on my pile of things to blog about; I traded it in for a melon-banana-cucumber smoothie mixed with my KitchenAid Artisan Blender. (Photos after the jump!) Most of my blog action in the past two weeks has been happening on yogannina, where I only reblog tons of Yoga images I find on other people's blogs. I guess I'll just stick with that until I'll feel like writing more again? Quite a few bloggers were going through similar phases recently, it seems: Anne Feldkamp and Luciana Schmidt are just two that come to mind spontaneously. But they're back on track from the look of things, as will I be once rested and re-energized.

Aug 22, 2011

Apparently, most people didn't know Kurt Cobain was a feminist. Looking at his relationship with Courtney Love, I am not exactly sure why. Kat Broderick put together a couple of quotes of his on the matter. (Via)

In her Try it out Tuesdays-series, Tara Stiles suggests to just be kind to people one whole day long. Probably more difficult than it sounds?

Naturally, not only left-handed females are underpaid: According to a study by Georgetown University, women need a PhD to earn as much as men with Bachelor degrees. According to the study, on average women earn 25% percent less than men. Source and more info. (Via.)

Have you got globetrotter genes? Milk put together a list of things to know for people who are thinking about moving to L.A.

Ari of Advanced Style has asked a 99-year-old lady for her life advice. Tips include classics like "Never loan, never borrow" and fancier Upper East Side-y stuff like "Don't frequent a restaurant where they don't crumb the table".

Aug 21, 2011

Veggie Love, a German blog edited by vegan Franziska Schmid, is still celebrating its first birthday with a wonderful blog parade: Everyday, different bloggers are portrayed who share their opinion on Veggie Love. Amongst the congratulants are also Susanne and myself (in English, just scroll down a tad bit). Remember, we developed the GCB tote bags together - and named one after Franziska! If you're interested in a sustainable lifestyle at all and can read some German, check out Franziska's posse.

Aug 20, 2011

One week ago today, 3000 people took to the streets in Berlin to protest against sexist discrimination. (Think Christopher Street Day for women's rights.) I was there - as were plenty of other Girls On Web Society members. If you like, please follow the jump for a collection of some of their posts.

Aug 18, 2011

I just accidentally deleted a whole post on this Gazpacho soup I made recently (grrr!) - and that my cat Frido stepped into a couple of minutes after I took this photo. Because it's late and I'm tired I won't rewrite everything that just went into digital nirvana now, please apologize. Let me just say that this cold raw vegetable soup that I prepared with my KitchenAid Artisan Blender has made it onto my Favorite Things to Eat of All Time list instantly! And for someone who enjoys cooking, that's really something. The blender performed perfectly at all times, and as per usual, cleaning it was super easy. For more photos, please follow the jump...

Disclaimer

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States . Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.